What Are My Rights If I Have Been Hit & Injured By An Uninsured Driver?
Sky News recently reported on the areas of the UK with the highest prevalence of uninsured drivers.
It seems that it is Birmingham’s turn to take that particular unwelcome crown.
This report comes as Police Forces enforce a week-long operation called Op Drive Insured, which at its heart, aims to seize more uninsured vehicles up and down the country.
Sky News also tells the difficult story of a 64-year-old who was hit by a car while walking along the pavement.
Not only was the vehicle being driven on the wrong side of the road, but the driver also fled the scene and was likely not insured.
Pretty much every box ticked on the driving offences, and no justice for the injured party.
The lady in question had to learn to walk again and was bedridden at home for 11 months after finally being discharged from the hospital after a four-month stay.
Options for those hit & injured by Uninsured Drivers
Thankfully the lady in question had legal redress to the Motor Insurers Bureau.
This helps compensate those injured due to the negligence of a driver who was either uninsured or was never traced.
It is a not-for-profit organisation that is funded by our insurance premiums.
So, whenever someone’s life is turned upside down, like in this real-life example, it is the law-abiding drivers who are coughing up.
The first thing to point out is, thank goodness for that.
We absolutely should live in a society whereby those with such rotten luck are properly compensated, and that liability rests with the many rather than the few.
But often, those not insured are given 3 or 6 points and a fine.
I have countless examples of clients nearly killed by negligent drivers who have been unable to work for months or years. And yet the Defendant can legally drive home from the Court case. That has to be wrong.
Personal perspective
A few months ago, as a family, we decided to sell our second car and see whether we could live with just one.
Saving a bit of money, being kinder to the planet, and getting fitter were all motivators.
I now cycle to work (yes, even in this weather).
It has been achievable so far, but losing that ability to jump in a car and having no choice but to be organised is really hard, especially with kids.
So surely, if you nearly kill an innocent person with a 10-tonne bit of steel because a text message was more important (all while you are not bothering to pay for the insurance you are legally required to hold), this merits a level of understanding that driving is not an automatic right.
And to make it clear, this is not an attack on drivers.
I am a driver. My wife is a driver.
Doing this job and seeing what harm can be done gives a thoroughly new perspective.
So please be aware that if an uninsured or untraced driver hits you, then you still have legal redress.
Speak to a lawyer who is an expert in their field and who can deal with your claim tenaciously and empathetically.
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By Tim Ransley, Partner & Head of Personal Injury